Dearest Friend

[Lucyfer]

The Master knew what to do. They were outnumbered, of course, but that wasn’t Aria’s concern. When the Master took the sword, she turned in the opposite direction and shot the first Sontaran she laid eyes on.


“NO!” The Doctor shouted at them both, but of course, neither listened. The best way to survive was to get rid of opposition. Earth looked weak to the universe, Aria knew, because the Doctor was always, constantly, saving it.


Aria hated that reputation. Earth and the humans, were not weak, and they would not be bullied by the other races out there. The sontaran, of course, struck back immediately and fired at them, the Master their first priority. The Doctor began to dig in his pockets for some device. ‘Faster, Doctor.’ Aria thought as she shot through another Sontaran, only to feel that force strike her as it had before. She keeled forward, grateful again for the vest that kept those shots from being the death of her.


With the wonderful timing the Doctor sometimes had, he found his sonic screwdriver and held it aloft, clicking through a few settings and then disabling all of the weapons around.


Well, all of those that required energy. Manual weapons, on the other hand, weren’t so easily destroyed.


The Sontaran guns clicked. Nothing escaped them. Aria was able to put one more down before the Doctor took control of the scene. “ENOUGH!” The Doctor walked to where the Master was, but pointed the sonic as if it were a weapon at Aria when she tried to stand. “Drop it.”


A moment’s hesitation. Aria let her gun fall to the ground, clicking on the safety, but put her foot over it so no Sontaran could grab it, and then rose, hands up. She was pretty certain the sonic couldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t about to risk it, either.


He wanted to yell at both of them, at everyone, but he knew they all had their reasons. He could piece it together, bit by bit, but none of it justified all the actions taken, by any party. Not the death threats, and not the deaths. “I demand explanations.” He said, and he looked right at one of the sontarans. “You. Now. My understanding is that you intended to attack Earth to conquer it. How does the Master fit in with all of this?”


~***~


James stood immediately when the boy began to growl, intending to bolt and get actual soldiers back around again. However, the older man managed to calm the boy before that was necessary, and so he waited nearby, tense and ready to run if the boy’s temper flew off the handle.


“The Doctor is no enemy of us.” James tried to explain when it was suggested he might hurt the Doctor. UNIT and the Doctor didn’t always agree, but James held the Doctor in high regard.


James shook his head a bit in bewilderment as the scene went on, and addressed the older man as it calmed a little, “Are you two traveling with the Doctor? Is he here?” James asked, not immediately asking after what had happened. The older man hadn’t seemed to understand the healing event either, so it likely wouldn’t do much good to ask him about it.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

"Conquer earth?" Snorted one of them, before rolling their eyes. "Completely ridiculous. We came for the Star." one hissed, before the other continued. "The Star is hidden here by the Master and we have our ways of getting it out of him." With that, the Master twitched slightly on the ground, trying to stand up. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and the thumping- that constant thumping- roared on in his head. He held it, moaning in pain, his arms buckling under him a few times.


What a weakling he was.


The Sontaran grunted. "He hid it in one of the houses and we are planning to burn them until we destroy it." The Master growled. "Thats not true, you ugly rats." he whined, before collapsing again. "Nnng- and I thought I was a liar." The Sontaran huffed "We do not lie. We are proud of our reliability for being honest. Now. Hand him over and we wont have to use brute force."


The master moaned and rolled over, sweat collecting on his face. "OOohhh, not this again." he growled.


~~~~


Johnathan hushed the sobbing little being, slowly he cradled him closer and picked him up off the ground, not feeling very afraid anymore. He hushed him and pet back those blonde curls, kissing his little cheek. "Dont cry, Robby. Its alright." he listened to the man and huffed. "Yes,. I- we come with the Doctor. He's off gallivanting about town with that rabble-rouser and warrior woman. Who knows what their up to. Right now, a-all thats important is keeping Robby safe. And with me." he said, huffing up his chest like a proud and protective chicken, holding the sniffling being closer.


Robby giggled at his actions, nuzzling his head into Johnathans. A bright red glow began to come from the boys chest, aching against Johns shoulder. His own body heated up from it, and Robby quickly stopped, looking sheepish and shy. Like it was an embarrassing thing. "I'm sorry..."he cooed. Johnathan smiled softly and held him closer. "Do not worry, little one." He climbed down from the truck, taking off his jumper and slowly slipping it on the boy. Underneath he wore a button up shirt, a big black belt and comfortable, fashionable pants. He bounced Robby softly.


"Do you know where the- oh where did they say they were heading..." he whispered. Robby blinked. "To the Sontaran crash site. The Sontaran are bad men. They hurt m-my family..." he whispered softly.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor looked to Aria. “Well?”


“We intercepted their messages. We can reliably translate the Sontaran language now. There was talk of the star, but also of taking the Earth once the star was found. I don’t know what the star is.” Aria honestly didn’t know, but she knew the Sontarans were a threat, and still were a threat, to all of Earth. That was all that mattered, in the end. “We’re certain it is a weapon of some sort, considering….” Well, just considering who was looking for, and who, apparently, had hidden it.


The Doctor looked sympathetically towards the Master. The drums must have decided to be loud. That meant he’d have to be quick. “I will give you one chance, and one chance only. Call for a retrieval, and leave Earth.” The Doctor did not need to say ‘if you don’t’. As the Vashta Nerada had known, and as so many aliens found out, the Doctor had a temper. He had destroyed the Arachnids completely, utter genocide, and it wasn’t the first time he’d committed genocide, either.


The Doctor had earned his enemies, and the fear of the universe. “I will handle things from here in regards to this star, and the Master.” When Aria bent to pick up her gun, he responded quickly, “Ah! No.” And she straightened back up, but made sure her irritation was evident.


The Sontaran were not going to surrender. Even if their energy weapons were disabled, they were still a threat.


~***~


James’s expression was both amused and exasperated. He wasn’t sure who the rabble-rouser was that the Doctor was traveling with, there were a few in UNIT who fit that description, but only one who fit the description of ‘warrior woman’ who was out there. She should have been the one to hang back and direct camp operations, but he outranked her and she’d insisted on dealing with the situation since she’d dealt with the Sontaran before.


“I’m not going to hurt him. He saved your life, I think,” James said, “I’m curious about what he is, but we’re not Torchwood.” He said it disparingly. “Usually, we try to work with aliens.” The Sontarans just never worked with anyone. They were the warmongers of the universe from what James understood. “I’m James, James Calwell. You two are safe here.”


The crash site was mentioned, and James nodded, “I’m sure the Doctor will be fine as well. He tends to be. I’m…sorry about your family, Robby.” Many had lost family that night. Though he was sincere, he didn’t feel the crushing weight. Already, he was jaded towards death.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master growled and sat up swiftly, suddenly, eyes wide like a maniacs. He giggled softly, wiggling uncomfortably. Like his own skin was too tight, like he would just rip it off if he could. He laughed and trembled, pain filled tears filled his eyes, before he jolted. "YOU LIARS!!" he bellowed, before falling back again. "Stupid! HHNNG!!" he wiggled until he was up, straightening out his messy, thin white hair. He glared at the aliens, before licking his lips. "I didn't hide that thing. He doesn't have anything to do with you stupid pigs anyways. I left him alone and got him out for a price." he sighed and smiled softly, before looking back at them.


"He was more of a waste of my time then what I originally thought." The Sontaran growled in anger. "We will burn you again, prisoner!" he barked. The Master looked frightened, and quickly scrambled behind the Doctor, trembling a bit and staring at the alien with wide eyes. He realized what he was actually doing and laughed, backing up. "Like you could." he growled.


"Earth is meaningless until we find that Star. It is important to us." he hissed, before pulling out a small dagger. "Now, lets try this again."


~~


Johnathan went to speak, but stopped short, looking down at the boy. Robby stared up at him, then looked at the man. "Well, I'm not sure what he is...he's scared." he uttered. Robby clung tighter to Johnathan and sniffled. "I-I am from up there. Those are my family." he pointed to the sky. "The Sontaran's hurt my family..." he stared up at all the twinkling stars, his own eyes began to twinkle softly, before a tear or two fell down his face. "I h-hate them. They hurt and steal and dont care!" he began to tremble again. Johnathan grit his teeth and calmed him. "Shhh- shh, child." he whispered.


Robby sighed and nuzzled softly, before rubbing his nose. "I like humans though." He whispered, playing with Johnathans thin beard, smiling. "They are nice and take care of me. They dont hurt me and that mean man. They hurt him because he was hiding me." he whispered.

 

[Lucyfer]

The disappointment that the Doctor felt through it all was impossible to put into words. His hearts sank, and filled with a cold rage all at once. When the Master hid behind him, it was difficult not to react then. Anyone that could scare the Master was worthy of his rage.


“I said don’t.” He said to Aria again when her fingers twitched. She balled them into a fist. “I see you’re all wearing armor,” he spoke to the Sontarans, but his tone had changed. It had deadened. He lifted up his sonic screwdriver. “Sontaran technology, of course, powerful stuff, constantly ‘on’. I can hear it humming. Hasn’t been good enough to stop her bullets, I’ve noticed, but eh, that’s just UNIT’s preparations, and I could, I could, let them destroy you all. She’s not alone, you know.” Some energy came into his voice. “But you’ve hurt my friend. You’ve threatened a world that I love, and you have ignored your once chance."


He flicked the sonic screwdriver, lengthening it, “I liked you all, really, I did. Brutish, smug little race of warriors, but I liked you.” He didn’t need to flick through settings. It was there when he clicked it on and let the screwdriver sing its song.


The vibrations matched those of the armor, and caused it to react, violently. The armors sputtered, sparked, and began to kill those wearing them.


And the Doctor just looked at the Sontarans the same way he had looked upon that spider queen, all those years ago.


~***~


James nodded, not fully understanding what Robby meant. He just assumed that Robby meant he was an alien, and so of course he was from ‘up there’. “No one likes the Sontarans,” James said, not sure if it would help to show that there was solidarity in the dislike of that particular species. They only ever came to Earth to cause problems.


Another man was brought up, and this time James asked after him. “What man are you referring to?” He didn’t know if it was the same was the rabble-rouser man, though he doubted it. He was still assuming the Doctor had run into another UNIT operative. Mean and rabble-rouse were two entirely different words in his book.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master watched this with a curious look, tilting his head to one side. He stared at them all as they smoldered and died, a beautiful sight in his deep red eyes. A dark grin crossed his lips and he tilted his head the other way. As they finally fell to the ground dead, he looked at the Doctor oddly, but kept silent. He didn't exactly feel like bugging the other about this situation right now. It might be a little much. He might be in trouble if he did. Quietly, he backed away from the Doctor and fiddled with the lining of the pockets in his sagging pants.


"Soooo..." he muttered quietly, shrugging. "I guess that's all done! Well, I'll see you both later! Good knowing you!" he wobbled away, clearly in physical pain but wanting to hurry out without them touching him. Filthy little paws, you know. He tried to move fast, quickly hurrying into a sprint. He did not want to stay there another moment, and before long, he was running. Hopefully that-- that girl didn't come after him. Maybe he could sneak into a truck and get lost that way.


He looked behind him, slowing down a bit to see if they followed. His breath was harsh, violent, and his face turned slightly red and sweaty. He was exerting himself.


~~~~


The little boy yawned quietly and his belly rumbled loudly again, Johnathan heard it, among other things. Like shouting from farther down the street. He shifted Robby on his side and smiled. "I think he might need some food before he continues." he chuckled, tickling the boys side. Robby squeaked and giggled, hiding against the older man and pawing his shoulders. "I'm hungry~" he replied sweetly, looking to the other man.


"T-The bad man. The one with a burner. He hurt my back..." he pulled up his shirt a little, his little bottom and the bare of his back burned horribly with an iron of sorts. Identical to the burns on the Master's back, only less severe. "He was burning us. He said we were his slaves and we had to do what he wants." he mumbled softly, hiding closer to Johnathan.


John felt his back softly, eyes wide. "Oh my god..." he whispered.

 

[Lucyfer]

Aria raised an eyebrow when the scene settled, and the Doctor put away his sonic screwdriver and turned towards the Master as he began speaking. With his back turned, Aria knelt and picked up her gun. It was returned to the holster as the Master made his escape. The Doctor started to run after him, as did Aria.


The Doctor stopped himself after a couple of seconds, “I have to…I have to get back to my companion,” he said, calling after her, “You’ll bring him back to UNIT’s area, yes?”


“Yeah!” She called back, not bothering to look over her shoulder. She would bring the Master back to UNIT, and she’d get her sword back from him as well. There was a reason she hadn’t given him the gun to use, after all. Her plan had worked out quite nicely, even if it took the Doctor intervening. Of course, she had expected that, if only because of the presence of the Master—the Doctor would risk humanity to save him.


The Year That Never Was, was proof of that. ‘Shame I can’t remember it.’ It had been in Torchwood’s records.


The Master was fast, and Aria couldn’t hope to catch him, but if she could keep him in sight, she’d call it good enough. Fortunately, he stopped before he ever left her sight, and she slowed to a walk to approach him. “Done running away now?” She was trying to hide the evidence that she was near exhausted from sprinting after him. She wasn’t sweating, but she was breathing hard, and her heart was racing.


~***~


“Of course,” James agreed, “I’ll go get you both a warm meal,” it wasn’t the best in the camp, but he knew there were meals to help the civilians cope. He took in the information about the ‘bad man’ as he stepped back and then left the two of them. There were plenty of bad people out there, so it didn’t really seem strange to James. Of course, he wanted to know why the boy was involved in the first place, but he could ask when the boy had a meal in him.


As he started walking through the makeshift camp, he heard someone there asking for a ‘Johnathan’ and declaring himself the Doctor. James glanced over and approached, lightly moving the soldier in his way, out of the way, “Doctor?” And the ginger nodded, “Where from?”


“Gallifrey! Please, is Johnathan here?”


“Yes,” he assumed it was the old man, “Where’s Aria and the other?”


“They’ll be back this way. The Sontaran threat has been dealt with, though there’s still a weapon somewhere in their ship that you may want to disable.”


“Understood,” he said, looked to the soldier, “Go to the Sontaran ship and clear it out with a small group.”


A nod, and the soldier walked off, “This way, Doctor, I need to pick up two meals for them as it is.”


“Okay,” the Doctor consented, and the two walked off to get the meals. Then James led the Doctor to the medical van where Johnathan and Robby had been.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master huffed, whining in pain and gritting his teeth, trying to look determined to run again, sweat slipped down his chin. This wouldn't be that much work if he wasn't injured. He huffed and scratched at his back, growling and mewling in anger. "I am not running!" he barked, dizzily stepping away. "And besides, youre too t- tired to keep this up! I could walk away right now and you couldn't even t-t-" his eyes rolled back and his legs gave out, he dropped to the ground, hands twitching and teeth grit.


He writhed slightly, clutching his back in pain, the burning must have been so intense that he couldn't stand it any longer, and took to the floor in agony. It looked to be painful from the outside as well. He gripped at his shirt, rolling onto his stomach and side, crying out loudly. His vision was blinding, his hearts raced. He tried to hold his back as best as he could.


"This burns!" He sobbed loudly, arching his back a bit, panic rising from his throat.


~~~~


"Doctor!" Johnathan called to him, holding the little boy closer. He had heard the other's voice from the distance, and recollected the same stepping patterns. Robby hid his face in the older man's neck and nuzzled a bit more, slightly frightened of what they might tell the other. Johnathan was a trustworthy friend. He would never tell someone's secret out of the blue. He held the shaking alien closer, kissing his ear before approaching his friend. "Are you alright? Done with that monster yet?" he asked, patting the Doctors arm softly and gently squeezing to be sure he was there with him fully. He did notice a look of concern and wariness in his friends voice, and he frowned softly.


"Doctor, are you alright?" He asked quietly, furrowing his brow and slowly reaching up to touch the others face, his lips parting slightly in slight worry. The other's face was so down-turned. Like something was bugging him again.


"Do you need a hug?" He muttered softly to him, always being the kind, sweet old man he was, softly rubbing the others arm. He had given the other hugs before, just to comfort him. Just to be there. Even if he couldn't see him.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Master probably underestimated everyone, but there was no time to retort. The Master fell to the ground before her, and began to cry, clearly in pain. His complaint was noted, and Aria approached him, knelt down before him, “There’s ice with UNIT,” she suggested quietly.


She wasn’t without empathy, not entirely, and it was painful to watch another so obviously in pain. It was usually why she preferred to kill things quickly. There was no point to making it suffer, and she wasn’t a sadist. “I can’t do anything for you here, but if you can fight the pain for a few minutes I can get you a medical van and get you some ice, and maybe find a way to put an end to the burning.” She wasn’t sure. She didn’t know what caused it, but that information could be gathered. Maybe it would be obvious. “Can I see the wound?” Might as well check if it was obvious now.


~***~


The Doctor gave Johnathan a sad smile, even though the man couldn’t see it. “We brought you food,” he told him. “We’re done with the Sontarans,” not the Master. Never the Master.


It must have been his tone that gave him away. “No,” he wouldn’t lie to John. He wasn’t all right. The Master had run off, and was hurt. He had to kill so many Sontarans to protect the Earth. Why didn’t people ever just listen to him? Why? “The Sontarans were here to find something the Master hid, a Star,” the Doctor shook his head, even though it wouldn’t be seen. “Also to take over. They refused to leave peacefully.”


John could guess what had to occur. A hug was offered, and the Doctor chuckled, just a bit. “Yes,” and he moved forward first to hug, though with only one arm. The other was holding a plate of food.


James took that from him, and set both plates off to the side.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master twisted in the dirt, opening his glazed over eyes only a moment to shakily look at her, before huffing and gritting his teeth harder. He felt the other approach, panicked slightly and jerked back in the dirt, letting out a fearful cry of pain, breath harsh and a few stray tears fell down his face for a second. He growled when she spoke, but fell silent when he understood.


The drums were so loud though, he could hardly concentrate with both them and the burning in his back rolling through his body. He whimpered, a few more tears falling down his face, before he choked softly. "Please m-make it stop??" he begged quietly, looking exhausted as he fell back again from exerting himself with rolling about in the dirt.


He slowly, shakily rolled over a bit, moaning in pain, and pawing at his back to try and pull up his shirt. It did so a bit, and revealed a dark, deep burn. It had split open slightly, dark blood seeped out, and the sides of it spread out and stretched over his lower back with dark red veins. He grit his teeth again and shut his eyes, sobbing quietly.


~~~~


Johnathan laughed softly, pulling him closer and tugging his head right in beside his neck, patting his head and wrapping his arm about the other's back. He was much taller then him, but who cared. He needed comfort. Robby slipped down from his arms quickly, clinging to his pants, but reached for his food, his belly roaring in hunger. He grabbed his own plate carefully, sitting down in the dirt and eating.


He didn't really want this to end. He had comforted the Doctor before, mostly when he was upset over something small or something he remembered. He would sit down with him, have him tell him what happened, explain a bad dream (when the Doctor slept that was. It wasn't often that he did) and then hold him when he was crying, or silent as death itself.


John held him close softly and patted his back, before sighing, pulling back a bit and patting his cheek, smiling softly. "better?" he asked quietly.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Make it stop.’


How pathetic the Master sounded right then, hardly like the Time Lord she’d heard of. It was impossible to hold on to that image of him, as he begged for an end. ‘There’s one surefire way.’ But Aria wouldn’t shoot him.


When he started to paw at his shirt, she hesitated a moment, then leaned forward and pulled his shirt up more to see the wound better. She hissed in a breath at the sight of it. He was bleeding. “I can’t do anything about it here, not much, but….” And a sigh parted her lips as she considered that the bleeding really needed to stop. “Just don’t move.” In a swift gesture, she lifted the shirt she was wearing up and off, the beret falling to the ground. Underneath was a vest, and under that her bra, so she was not nude in the least, but she certainly felt like it.


‘Whatever, these are replaceable.’ “Sit up and I can at least wrap the wound tight enough to stop the bleeding. Then we’ll get you some actual medical attention with UNIT, all right?”


Then, as an afterthought, she said, “I’m going to need my sword back, as well.” No matter how bad he looked right now, she was not bringing the Master into UNIT with a weapon.


~***~


The Doctor accepted the embrace, but he didn’t laugh nor smile as Johnathan did. He rested, hardly moving, in the hold. He saw the boy take his food and was pleased that he was eating, but it reminded the Doctor that Johnathan probably needed to eat as well.


As such, he reluctantly broke away from Johnathan, “Sit.” He said gently, and went to get the man’s plate for him. He didn’t answer whether or not he was better, because he wasn’t. Time to think never made him better. It was why he kept running, and kept active. It prevented him from thinking.


The Master always found ways to bring his crimes into his mind. Now he had more on his conscience. Sure, he was doing it for the right reasons…but didn’t everyone think that? Even the Daleks thought they were right.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master didn't like the feeling of a human's hands on him one bit. It stung him to death, and yet she was just happily pawing away at his back. It sent shivers down his spine. Slowly, with enough energy left in him, he broke a moan that escaped his lips as she touched at the wound, and tried his best to sit up. A few hot tears hit the dirt in front of him and he looked to her, breathing harshly.


She had taken off her shirt, and his arms were shaking softly as she had. He diverted his eyes slightly, not exactly the worst of people to watch as a women undressed. Was she undressing though? No, not really. More so she was helping him. He had just asked for her too, he was frightened she might make it worse as well.You know how humans can be, you trust them one moment and the next they're shooting you to death.


Lovely.


He trembled a bit and grit his teeth, trying to force himself to control the pain. He had learned how to control the drums, why not this? His eyes slowly looked to the shirt again and he whimpered quietly, breathing harshly from his nose this time. "F-Fine..." he whimpered, looking around in pain and quickly gripping at the sword he had dragged with him, it was laying about two feet away. He grabbed it with sweaty fingers, pulled it over weakly, and turned around ever so slowly so his back face her. For at least one moment...he was frightened. If not for the last three hours. He was in pain, and had to trust a filthy little human again.


Was he pathetic or what?


~~~~


Johnathan smiled sadly as he was instructed to sit, sighing quietly and lowering himself to the ground. He heard the boy near him and smiled. "Do you like the food then, Robby?" he asked. Robby peeked up, mouth full, and wiggled about madly. "Y-Yeah~ Yeah ish goohd~" he whispered. Johnathan grinned and waited quietly, hearing the Doctor step to get his food. He twiddled his fingers and looked around quietly, his eyes moving around to try and see something each time a noise came.


He would never be able to stop that, mind you. He had only been blind for a year, and he still could move those deathly cold blue eyes about. It was like a smack in the face, looking one way thinking you can see something, and then being faced with darkness...


Johnathan felt the Doctor returning and perked up a bit from where he was, smiling slightly. The ground was cold and hard, and he didn't exactly enjoy sitting there, but the company of Robby coming over and nuzzling his curly blonde head into his arm helped, and he softly pet the boys head as he ate. The food smelled good. At least that was an upside to all this. He reached up for the food, smiling like usual. "Thank you, old friend." he said softly.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘You are a cat. That is what you are, a cat.’ Aria might find a way to inform the Master of that, when his claws and teeth weren’t bared like a feral animal. Well, metaphorically. The sword was returned, and Aria took it, used it to cut the shirt a bit so that it would be more useful as wrappings.


“This will hurt,” she warned him. “It has to be tight and press against the wound.”


‘So please don’t kill me.’


All right, maybe he wasn’t a cat. Maybe he was a lion. A cat wouldn’t scare her if she was trying to help it, and she was still questioning her sanity for helping him.


Aria leaned forward and placed what had been the back of her shirt over the wound to cover it completely. The rest, then, she used to hold that patch in place and tighten it so that no blood would be able to seep through. The sleeves were particularly useful for this, but the stripped front of the shirt came in handy as well. She did not work as fast as she could, lest she make a sudden movement that earned the Master’s wrath. She wanted him to be able to understand what she was doing as she moved through it.


Assuming she was able to complete her work, she would lean away from him and stand up, then offer her hand down to him, “Come on now,” she’d encourage.


~***~


It seemed the food was good, which surprised the Doctor. He usually put UNIT food on par with hospital food, or school lunch food, which wasn’t exactly the sort of thing he’d consider good. Then again, in all his regenerations, he’d been a picky eater. “You’re welcome,” the Doctor said as he handed off the food, then settled himself down.


James didn’t sit, couldn’t sit. “Doctor, what is this Star?”


The Doctor shrugged, “Don’t know. Many things in the universe have been referred to as Stars. Even here on Earth, you have ‘Stars’.” The Doctor reminded. That word was used for so much, it was impossible to know. He planned to ask the Master about it, though it would be difficult to get a straight answer out of it.


‘Really, probably shouldn’t have left that woman with him.’ He was regretting that a bit. The Master was dangerous, and mercurial. Even so, he had to know that his companion and this boy were all right. ‘Thinking of….’ “James, this boy is going to need a place to stay.”


James arched an eyebrow. “It wouldn’t be good for him to stay here.” He assumed the Doctor already knew that, though. The Doctor was usually aware of aliens in his midst.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master stared at her as she wrapped the small shirt around his back. He let out a small cry of pain as she tightened the shirts sleeves around him. His hands tightened in the already formed fists he held clenched as she had begun to wrap up his wound. It hurt worse then before he had gotten the burn, which wasn't very good seeing as the burn had been very painful. He let out an even louder cry while she shifted the shirt about. It had pulled his wound a bit and hurt so bad.


He writhed as she stood, tears slipping down his twisted and sweaty face. She offered her hand, and his own slowly un-clenched. He reached up to the other, fingers trembling softly. He gripped her hand and tried his best to stand, collapsing once or twice in pain, before finally standing up again. His shirt fell down over the bandage, which bulged from under the thin t shirt. His sweat jacket fell with it, but he was far too tired to pull it down.


He tried to brush it off, like it hadn't happened. He smirked and coughed softly, snot and tears mixing on his face. "F-fooled you didn't I!" he choked, coughing harder and trembling. "I-I c-can walk see?" he trembled, half shuffling and hacking up on himself. He almost tumbled over the other, letting out a little whimper.


~~~~


Johnathan heard the boy sitting beside him, hardly paying attention to the conversation in front of them. Robby peeked up when he was mentioned and whimpered quietly, slowly moving closer to Johnathan. The elder hushed him and pet his head, pulling him into his lap and setting his empty plate off to the side. As the doctor and the other spoke, John took that moment and felt the tiny boys face, kissing his head. "He wont harm you if you tell him what happened."


Robby stared at the Doctor with huge green eyes, trembling slightly. John urged him to to tell his friend, and slowly Robby spoke up.


"I'm the star." he whispered. John listened softly,holding the child's hand tighter. Robby slowly slipped from his arms and went closer to the Doctor. As he did, his form began to change, to an older boy, then older, until he was a young adult. He came to the same height as the doctor, and he stared at the other, his eyes staring into his eyes.


He spoke into the Doctors head.


"I am Robby."

 

[Lucyfer]

At least the lion didn’t claw her to death. In fact, the lion even accepted the hand up. Aria had to ground herself against the wobbly figure in order not to fall over herself as he fell onto her and tried to find his balance. ‘You took over the world, and you’re reduced to this.’ It was…sad. She’d probably regret all of this later, when he was himself again.


“Yes, you completely fooled me,” she informed when he insisted he could walk, his face a mess of moisture, and his legs wobbling. Then he tumbled into her, and she had to ensure her hand didn’t fall onto his wound when she had to grab him for her own balance.


She took in a deep breath, “Let’s walk now. Away from here.” She kept her hand on his back and gave a little push to indicate the direction they ought to be heading in. She’d let him get enough of his balance back so he could walk that way, but she was keeping a hold on the back of his jacket, for his own good.


She wasn’t worried he’d escape. She left her beret on the ground, unconcerned. She could get another.


~***~


The boy was the one to speak up and explain what the Star was. “Oh?” The Doctor looked over at him, unsurprised, but clearly intrigued.


The boy shifted forms before their eyes, and James looked visibly surprised though the Doctor remained calm where he sat. He smiled, “Hello, Robby,” he answered the telepathic message. “I’d prefer you didn’t do that, if you don’t mind.” He didn’t like others in his head. He hadn’t liked Madame de Pompadour there, and he certainly didn’t like it when the Xhinn insisted on communicating that way. The Ood were about the only ones he could accept it from.


Poor Ood.


“Why did the Sontarans want you?” And why would the Master protect him?

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master trembled as he walked slowly in front, his body a shaking mess. He was prideful for a long time, but after what the Doctor had done for him long ago when Gallifrey came to Earth, and the Master gave himself to send those monsters back to the firey deaths, he was brought with them. He was locked up, tortured and left to starve each and every day for payment in 'destroying' his home land. When he woke up in the darkness and found himself on a Sontaran ship, he hadn't a shred of pride left in him.


Though he tried to make up for it mind you.


He had gone through many pains and all, but suffering was one thing he couldn't stand. The Timelords couldn't cure the thumping and drumming in his head. They couldn't cure his madness. He breathed harshly as he recalled the years and years of torture. He felt faint, but he kept going, trudging along and slipping now and again, his bony hands moved out in front of him to keep him upright.


~~~~


Robby nervously walked back, looking slightly flustered and upset, like a child who had been reprimanded. He fiddled with his fingers, and Johnathan listened as he spoke up quietly. "I-Im sorry..." he whimpered quietly, before softly speaking up again. "Mmmmmsorry~" John softly stood and approached the adult who acted so much like a child. Robby whined and lowered his head a bit.


"Sontaran's wan me cause I can hurt people. But I dont want to...the nice man helped me out...he was twitching a lot." he whispered softly. John placed a hand on the boys shoulder, rubbing his back softly. The boy seemed to purr a bit and nuzzled closer to John. He really did seem like a child in an adults body.

 

[Lucyfer]

UNIT soldiers were there to greet Aria and the Master when they arrived. She demanded he be taken to a medical van, and seen to immediately, but she would not give his name. Aria would later, when the man had been treated. They would figure out what to do with the most-wanted criminal in the universe then, but for the moment, she wanted him treated. If she revealed his name, chances were, he wouldn’t see any treatment.


A group escorted them to the van, and directed the Master to lay on his stomach so the wound on his back could be seen.


Aria took a seat off to the side to observe the proceedings, though she did ask one soldier to fetch James for her. He was technically her superior here.


~***~


“It’s quite all right,” the Doctor told the star, “You didn’t know, Robby.” He really wasn’t good at this, was he? But when he looked like an adult it was even more difficult.


Apparently the boy had power to hurt people, “Is that why the Master protected you? Did he want to use you, too?” The Doctor didn’t like to think ill of him, but it always happened. The Master had his reputation for a reason, after all.


James frowned. Master. That was a name he knew, too. It carried quite a bit of weight. ‘Is he here?’ That was worrisome.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

The Master was truly frightened the humans might actually hurt him. Him! The most powerful, dangerous man! No- no not anymore...He cowered at them, backing into the woman's grip with wide eyes as those soldiers approached him. He was weak and tired, they weren't. They could break him. He fought weakly at first, kicking and twisting his wrists, letting out cowards cries of fear, but when he came into view of the medical bed, all things began to calm inside him. The drumming, and the throbbing in his back. He slowly obeyed, laying out on his belly, his one arm gripping at the side of the bed and the other laying limb beside him. Sweat and tears and snot still dried on his face, and he wished nothing more then to-


Then to die.


His breath began to calm, and he slowly dropped, head hitting the bed and breathing slowing to a quiet gasp now and again. It wasn't good. A few of the nurses and doctors began to pry the other's shirt up, cutting it along the back to get a better view. The jacket was stripped from him and set to the side. The mark ran all the way over his hip, down his thigh and up the side of his belly. They pulled the shirt open more, finding three others on his upper back and one on his inner thigh, trailing down into his knee cap. It was horrendous to see, that skin drying and peeling back, blood oozing from each crevice, vains popping out of the skin and throbbing in horror.


All the Master could do was recoil in pain. He was no lion. Just a rat, trying to appear threatening.


~~~~


Robby shook his head suddenly, eyes wide with slight anger, those pupils disappeared into fire and his voice began to rise.


"He is my friend!!"





He shouted, before recoiling into Johnathan and whimpering. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he sobbed. Johnathan's hand quickly grabbed the other's head and rubbed soothing circles in his back, petting the boys head softly. "No no, shhh...its alright." Robby began to sob harder, his lip curled up and his eyes shut tight. "No! No, the man took me to a home! H-He make sure I happy! He promised he never let them find me!!" he wailed softly. Johnathan looked worried. The Master? Was Robby even thinking of the same cruel person he was?


"Robby, hush. I'm sure youre right. Dont cry." he whispered.

 

[Lucyfer]

The doctors of UNIT were figuring out what the Master was just by examining him, though not by name. His two hearts gave him away as a Time Lord, which they could plainly hear while they cleaned the wound. There wasn’t much they could do, except to disinfect it and apply some ointments that would make the burning hurt less. They did also stitch up the open wound, but mostly, it would just take time.


“Why doesn’t he use regeneration energy?” One nurse spoke to another, and there was a shrug.


“Maybe he can’t?” Was the response.


Even so, they continued to work on him.


Aria stayed back, and felt James tap her on the shoulder. “Is that who I think it is?” He whispered to Aria.


When Aria glanced over, she noticed that James was purposefully averting his eyes from her. “Who do you think is?” She asked, "And I'm not naked, Major. I am still covered by the vest." The man still tried to keep his eyes off her as he leaned closer to whisper.


“The Master.”


“Yep,” she wouldn’t hide it from her superior. “He seemed himself earlier. Now….” Well, not so much now. “What are we to do with him?”


“Lock him up and have him stand trial for his crimes. I’ll connect with the galactic councils about it later. Trying him here will be necessary, but others will want to make sure they get a word in on his fate…and considering he’s a universal criminal…only fair.”


“What about the Doctor?”


“I’ll think of something to keep him busy.”


Aria nodded. She would have to do the same. In the minds of both James and Aria, one good deed didn’t make up for a lifetime, for centuries, of destruction and chaos.


~***~


James was tapped when the Doctor reeled back, and then glared at the young man in the room. The Doctor rose, and James looked over at the soldier. “Aria has returned. She’s requested you.”


He nodded, “Take me to her,” he said.


It was as the Doctor was saying, “He’s my friend as well, but it doesn’t stop me from recognizing the truth about him, Robby,” he said, “He married a woman just to use her family’s wealth and connections, so he could take over this world. I want to believe he’s good, and he truly tried to help you, but I’ve learned better than to trust him.”


The Doctor wanted to, but his first instinct was always mistrust, especially knowing now the Master wasn’t himself. He couldn’t control all of his actions, because of the drumming in his head that drove him towards chaos and war. “He needs help…and until he gets it, he shouldn't be trusted.” The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest, “And you are not going to yell in my head again.”


The Time Lords were psions of a sort, not as powerful as the xhinn. The Doctor was not the best at it, but he knew how to close the doors to his mind. He did just that, blocking out all telepathic communications.


James exited amidst all the talk to find Aria.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

Clearly Robby didn't like what the other said. He recoiled and hid a bit, Johnathan sighing as the words were exchanged. The older man didn't exactly like the Master, but if what Robby told him was true, he hoped it was. For all he knew, Robby was just a child and one who didnt like his friends being called names or being hurt. No matter who that friend may be.


Johnathan tried to comfort the young one, while staring into the darkness once more. In that general direction of the Doctor. "Might I come along?" he asked softly. It was more of something to get over with. Of course, he didnt mind taking care of the boy, but all this bickering. He wished for the first time in a while that he was back on that old farm again, sipping tea and watching the hours go by without a word from the outside world.


Robby hid physically behind Johnathan, clinging to his side. The older man grumbled, pet his head, and slowly came over to the Doctor. "I heard you were needed."


~~~~


The Master was nearly dead asleep, now laying uncomfortably on his back, a few blankets covering him to keep shock away, and heart monitors working their magic. The Master was blissfully unaware of his surroundings, sleeping quietly and curled up in the comfort of those blankets. It was amazing he wasn't whining in his sleep. The big baby.


He did however, have a frightening nightmare in the meantime. At first it was dull, the ache and the softness of the drumming. The medicine helped with that. But then, it slowly morphed into loud, rumbling drums, making him quiver and shake with pain. He stared up at the faces around him.


"disappointment." "ugly..." "Devil!"





He shook, and his lips parted, a soft, trembling whimper escaped.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor was confused by John’s first statement. “Come along where?” He had mentioned nothing about leaving. Though his hearing was good, he hadn’t noticed James leave. He hadn’t paid him all that much attention, but he looked around and noticed his absence when John mentioned that he was needed.


He laughed a bit and shook his head, “No, that wasn’t for me, that was for James, probably something with the Sontaran ship,” he informed John, “Though we do have a bit of a problem now. Robby needs a new home since this one has not worked out, somewhere not even the Master can find him.” If the Master had brought him to Earth, that meant he had already considered several other planets. The Master hated Earth.


~***~


James did not stay long. He had to make the calls to the other aliens. He did at least leave Aria with handcuffs before leaving her, should the Master wake up and prove to be violent. He had to be kept alive for his trial.


The nurses soon finished up their work with him, and departed, one coming in occasionally to check on the Master.


Aria just waited. She did make a request for a blanket eventually, and wrapped it around herself like a cloak. It kept her arms warm. They were freezing now without the comfort of the long-sleeve shirt. ‘Ruined.’ And there’d be no getting better clothes from the Master.


His fate was sealed and he didn’t even know it. The trial would demand he be executed. What other fate could there be? Aria tried not to feel any sympathy, but considering the blubbering mess she’d seen earlier, it was hard not to feel it.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

Robby had begun to wobble away quietly with soft little noises, his mind wondering from the current events, tears staining his cheeks, but he was more interested in playing with his own dirty shirt and the dirt beneath his feet then the older two men. Johnathan listened to him very closely, just in case there was something wrong. He breathed. "Doctor, I understand you dont like that old crazy snake, but you have to admit...if Robby is telling the truth, perhaps the Master did try and keep him safe."


He folded his arms quietly and sighed, tilting his head. "Perhaps the Master is hiding something?" Robby let out a loud squeak suddenly, and Johnathan jumped almost a foot in the air, catching that noise quickly. "Robby? Whats wrong??" he called. Robby picked up two big fat worms and giggled madly, hurrying over to them and showing them the dirty creatures. "Look it~" he showed the doctor, then tried to show Johnathan. Johnathan felt the little things and chuckled. "Ew, their slimy~" he cooed. Robby wiggled a bit. "I'll put them back in the ground."


The older male chuckled as the boy hurried away, before sighing and feeling over to pat the Doctor's face. He needed to know just how the other felt...Just what he was feeling...It hurt not to be able to see this.


~~~~


The quietness of the van was only broken once or twice with the shifting of fabric against the Master's dry skin, his quiet whines once and again, trembling fingers against the bed sheets and his white hair rustling about. The quietness was like something the Master was trying to refrain from destroying each move he made, like he meant to cause it to disappear.


Then, slowly, came the creeking of the van's doors. In came a tall man, a hood covering his eyes, but was built like a well worked man. His gruff hands brushed against his long jacket, pulling the sleeves down to cover his arms. He stared at the woman, then the bed farthest to the wall. He walked towards it, not paying any heed to the woman. He didn't care if she yelled at him, drew a weapon or not. He didn't care for her one bit. Right now, all his attention seemed to be on that man in the bed.


He reached out, a burn covering one of his hands all the way up beneath his sleeve, and he gripped the Master's throat. The sedatives had worn off. The Master jerked awake, eyes flashing open, red pupils staring up at the dark man. He choked, the grip tightening, the red in his face flushed up and making it swell. The man just stood there, squeezing. Until finally, he stopped, letting the Master gasp and cough violently, trembling and pushing away. He was grabbed by the hair, dragged out of the bed. The man let him hit the floor and cry out loudly, thrash about and try and stand, but continued without hesitation.


"LET GO OF ME!!" he screamed, pushing harshly. "PLEASE!! HELP!!" He shouted at the woman, tears in his eyes once more. The pain was horrible, especially since everything was now sore and abused again.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor shook his head, even though John couldn’t see it, “If he saved the Star, it was only to use him later.” The Doctor contended. The fact that John was softening was surprising. That actually worried the Doctor. He didn’t want John to get taken advantage of, too. “He needs help before he can be trusted,” the Doctor reiterated. John know of the drums, right? He’d forgotten if he did or didn’t.


Then the Star came over, baffling him by becoming so childish about worms. He looked at them, “Yes, they need the earth to live in, good idea,” he said when Robby suggested he’d put them back.


He sighed, and then felt the hands of John. John would find the Doctor was tired, more than anything. He hadn’t expected these trials today, and was no fan of them. “I suppose I need to find the Master, though. Hope he hasn’t done anything else.” He shook his head despite the presence of John’s hand there. “I like him, John. I just…know him, too.”


~***~


Aria saw the man enter, not asleep or tired. “Excuse me, who are you?” She asked, but he moved right by her, to where the Master was. At first, she did not react, but then she saw the man actually move to strangle the Master. ‘Great.’


Not that she could blame him, and it was that initial sense that the man was in the right which caused her to hesitate. However, her sense of justice overrode her sense of avenging all those the Master had harmed. When the Master was moved out of the bed, she stepped into the doorway and drew her gun.


It wasn’t the Master’s cries at all that got to her, though they were a factor. It was the reminder that he needed to face a trial. So, she pointed it at the one in the hood, and fired at the hooded man’s head.


The Doctor did have one thing right about her—she was much more inclined to shoot first.

 

[BadMasterYouJerk]

Johnathan listened to him, before nodding quietly and sighing, his heart heavy for both the Doctor, whom he knew must be going through a large trial, and the Master himself. Who would have thought he would be sorry for the man he earlier smacked. Besides that, imagining the horrible drumming constantly would drive a man nuts, even if he was an alien with two hearts.


"I know." he said softly to the Doctor, before slipping his hand down and patting his back softly. Robby stopped playing for a moment. John stopped talking as well, jerking to one side. He heard a scream, and his eyebrows furrowed. That would have been normal for him to hear, if only he were used to them. He shuddered, wincing and huffing slightly. "What the blazes was that?" He asked quietly.


Robby stared, straight, eyes wide, clouded, before he jumped up a bit. "Friend?" he mumbled quietly, tilting his head and wiggling his butt slightly. Johnathan listened to the boy. "What was that Robby?" he asked quietly. Robby slowly began to walk towards the yells. "Friend!"


~~~~


The Master watched as the man stood there, face to face with the woman. Aria was strong, and he knew that. No matter if she hated him or not, which he didn't care for really, he did not want to go with him. Not again. He struggled when the bullet was let out, trying to pry the possibly dead man's hand free. But then, he looked up. The man stood there, unharmed, the bullet floating in mid air, before it dropped to the ground. His burned hand went out suddenly, the air around them filled with some sort of energy, dark and strong, and the Master cried out in pain from the throbbing- THE THROBBING.


The man lifted Aria off the ground and literally threw her from her position, to against the metal wall of the truck, staring at her, before gripping the master's head harder and began to slowly exit the building. He kicked and screamed, thrashing about madly. He was a little disappointed at what he just saw. That wasn't much of a fight was it? The man kept dragging him, keeping his back to the woman. He wasn't exactly paying attention to her.


Robby came rushing through the path, giggling. He was running faster then Johnathan could, and he was going as fast as possible for a man his age. Why had Robby just run off like that? Robby slowed down when he saw a man with his 'friend', slowly staring at the two, and realizing. He let out a loud cry and rushed back towards Johnathan, looking terrified. Johnathan collided with him, almost falling over if it weren't with Robby hiding himself in his stomach. "What is it??" he asked, out of breath.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor shook his head as the scream registered for all of them. “I don’t know. We should go find out,” the Doctor then heard Robby. ‘Master.’ Of course it would involve him. What he didn’t consider was that it was the Master who screamed.


Robby ran off and the Doctor said, “I’ll follow him,” to John and he ran off after the boy.


~***~


The bullet hovered in mid-air. Though Aria had seen things like this before, it never ceased to shock her in the moment. As such, she was caught off guard when that energy came to include her, and she was thrown against the wall. She had enough sense to put her hands behind her head as the collision occurred, so that the blow to her head was softened, but she was still disoriented as she slumped to the ground.


‘Get up!’


Mind over matter. It was just a throbbing pain, an ache, nothing serious. She’d felt worse in her life. Even so, it took a few moments to actually get up, and by then the Master was outside. He was still putting up a fight. Aria could hear it.


She walked after, removed the sword from its sheathe, and grabbed the Master’s arm since the man insisted on pulling the Master by the hair. Aria considered cutting through the Master’s hair, but in the end, aimed to cut the hooded man’s hand off. The bullet hadn’t worked, but maybe the sword would. Best to find out while his attention was caught by the little boy. Aria paid the boy no mind.


The Doctor, however, didn’t run off like Robby. “LET HIM GO!” The Doctor shouted at the hooded man.